2017 Year in Review: AMI Membership Working for You
One of the benefits of belonging to a professional association is the collective power of our creative, hard-working colleagues to advance our profession, which is evident in these highlights of 2017. Continue to support this work and enjoy the many benefits with your renewed AMI membership by Jan. 31.
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—2017 HIGHLIGHTS—
30th Anniversary! This year AMI and Serbin Communications celebrate 30 years of publishing the #1 marketing platform for biomedical, life science and natural science artists. We’ve come a long way from our first printed Sourcebook to today’s leading portfolio site for medical and scientific artists. A stunning redesign of http://medillsb.com, enhanced social media, artists blogs, and of course the printed edition. Art buyers all over the world turn to Medical Illustration & Animation to hire scientific visualization specialists.
Members HUB. AMI successfully launched the new Members Hub in 2017. This new portal simplifies our members’ web experience by allowing them to manage all their personal information, pay their dues, and access a variety of association, business and online education resources. In addition, the HUB Forum feature, which replaced the old AMI Listserv, has taken off with over 185 individual discussion threads. Finally, AMI committees can now communicate and share important documents with their members inside secure communities.
Diversity Task Force. In today’s world, diversity and inclusion are not mere catchphrases, they are top priorities in leading industries and institutions. The AMI Diversity Task Force conducted a diversity survey to establish a baseline metric of members; invited Dr. Kecia Thomas to Austin to facilitate a training session for the Board of Governors as well as to serve as our 2017 AMI Diversity Speaker; and implemented a Diversity Statement to embrace the prioritization of ideals within our organization.
Advocacy. AMI’s legislative counsel Bruce Lehman, President Carolyn Holmes, and Artists' Rights Committee Chair Betsy Weissbrod had a meeting with Congressman Doug Collins to discuss his sponsorship of the ART (American Royalties Too) Act. Collins is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and is well-positioned to advocate for our interests. AMI will continue to push for copyright reforms with our partners the Artists Rights Society and ASIP in 2018.
Business Resources. AMI published a new Chapter 6: Copyright Protection of the Medical Illustration Business Practices. This valuable member resource is packed with information about copyright registration, how to protect your work, responding to infringement, DMCA takedown notices, and what to expect in litigation. Included are sample letters for members to download and customize for their own business use. This resource was a colossal effort of numerous AMI members, the Professional Guidelines and Artists Rights Committees, and intellectual property attorney Andrew Berger.
Online Learning. The Online Learning Committee has held five webinar events, enabling members to learn new skills and earn CEU credits for certification. Classes included "XPresso: Cinema 4D's Visual Programming Tool," "Blend4Web: Create an Online Interactive 3D Experience," "Building a Simple VR Module with Unity3D and Google Cardboard," "Post-Production Look Development Techniques," and "Cinema 4D R18 New Features."
In Support of Science. During 2017, events in the U.S. raised public concerns about the suppression of scientific evidence and restricting access to information. Because medical illustrators and animators around the world are engaged in a profession that stands at the center of communicating science, AMI issued a public statement supporting the free flow of information about science and the answers it uncovers. This message was shared on social media following the hashtag #ScienceMatters.
Mentoring. Making the transition from student to professional can be daunting. Our Mentor Program matches new members with experienced mentors who help answer questions, connect with others, support job decisions, and give career advice. Our Members HUB is a 24-hour resource for job postings, software questions, business tools, salary surveys and interest groups.
The coming year is full of promise for professional growth for AMI members, from online learning opportunities to in-person networking at our annual meeting in Newton, MA or regional events, and much more. We look forward to strengthening our member benefits throughout the new year, and we wish a very happy and successful 2018 to everyone!
AMI is a collaborative community whose members serve
each other through generous sharing of knowledge,
innovations, and the tools for individual success.
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